Boundary review recommends scrapping East Dunbartonshire constituency

David Hepburn

Proposed changes to electoral boundaries could see the East Dunbartonshire constituency scrapped prior to the 2020 general election.

The proposals would see the number of UK MPs reduced from 650 to 600, with the number of Scottish seats dropping from 59 to 53 seats.

The plans, which were drawn up by the independent Boundary Commission for Scotland, are currently under consultation before being voted on at Westminster in around three months time.

If accepted, the changes would mean that the East Dunbartonshire constituency would effectively disappear, being split between two redrawn seats.

Part of the current constituency would be included in the new West Dunbartonshire & Bearsden North seat and part in the new Milngavie & Kirkintilloch seat.

It would see the current sitting MP, the SNP’s John Nicolson, have to fight it out with fellow nationalists Martin Docherty-Hughes (currently MP for West Dunbartonshire) and Stuart McDonald (currently MP for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East) for selection.